Research

The first hydraulics laboratory at The University of Iowa

IIHR has been home to innovative hydraulic research since 1920, when a small model laboratory was opened on the banks of the Iowa River in downtown Iowa City. Research activities expanded rapidly, and by 1928 a larger Hydraulics Laboratory replaced the original small structure.

Today, IIHR is home to a steadily growing research program and broadening of research focus.

With this proud 90-plus-year history of research and innovation, IIHR looks to a future that promises to be even more exciting. IIHR offers state-of-the-art computational simulation and laboratory modeling capabilities, as well as field observational research. This encourages application of an expanding range of approaches for the investigation and solution of a wide spectrum of flow problems, with unmatched ideal learning opportunities for students and researchers.

IIHR researchers are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in many areas, including several multimillion-dollar, multi-year programs, some of which have spanned decades: